Federal employees in Maryland anxiously await the Supreme Court’s decision on whether the Trump administration will be allowed to proceed with firing thousands of federal government workers.

It’s unclear whether a California judge’s block of the reductions in force will stay in effect or whether the Trump administration will be allowed to proceed with cuts. The Supreme Court adjourned for its summer recess without ruling on the issue, which could get a decision in the fall. It leaves a majority of federal workers in limbo, as they have been on administrative leave since April 2.

While the Supreme Court may weigh in on the issue through its emergency docket, also known as the shadow docket, the highest court’s approach to cases involving presidential powers for this kind of issue has been difficult to predict.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the primary plaintiff in the suit against the Trump administration, wrote on their site in late May, “22 agencies named in the lawsuit are prohibited from implementing their planned layoffs until the case is resolved.” The City of Baltimore is among the groups and cities suing the Trump administration. The long-term consequences of the case remain unknown.

Another variable complicating the federal workers’ case is the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the authority of federal judges to grant universal injunctions.

Chris Bonk is a partner at Gilbert Employment Law who focuses on federal employment litigation and works with clients impacted by Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts. He said, “with the Trump v. CASA ruling, you know, how widespread can the TRO [temporary restraining order] or injunction be under those circumstances” isn’t yet understood. “Where does that, and how does that, play into the matters that involve the federal agency terminations? I think, is that’s one we’ll have to find out,” Bonk said.

Mark Graber, a regents professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, said of the Supreme Court: “At some point, they’ll chime in.” He noted that the scope of the block against DOGE could likely only apply to groups involved in the suit. “They only decide to give an injunction with respect to the parties. So now if a California judge issues an injunction against DOGE, it can only relate that DOGE can’t fire the people before the court.”

Shaun Southworth, a litigator and blogger, highlighted “The Quiet Power of Footnote 10” on his site The Mindful Federal Employee. Southworth wrote, “Even if broad injunctions are reined in, courts may still halt agency plans for everyone by vacating them under the APA,” the Administrative Procedure Act, which establishes rules for agency adjudications and procedures for reviewing agency actions.

The federal government is the state’s largest employer

Placement on administrative leave and layoffs have been widespread among the state’s 269,000 federal workers. In late June, CNN reported that at least 128,709 federal workers had been laid off, placed on administrative leave, or targeted for layoffs.

While some federal worker unemployment is published on Maryland’s Department of Labor site, the number of unemployment filings does not reflect the thousands of federal workers in the state whose jobs are in limbo, as court battles over layoffs and reorganizations prevent them from accepting new jobs.

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order drastically reducing the size of the government workforce with the Elon Musk-led DOGE. Labor unions and cities filed a lawsuit, challenging the effort to cut the federal workforce.

John Hatton is the Staff Vice President for Policy and Programs at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. He said the Trump administration “has moved rapidly and without care, I think, in trying to push through mass firings of federal employees, and has done it in different ways.”

A California judge temporarily prevented federal agencies from enforcing Trump’s attempts to fire workers. Judge Susan Illston, a Clinton-appointed judge, said that Trump does have the authority to alter congressionally created executive branch departments, but he “must do so with the cooperation of Congress.”

Hatton said the battle over federal jobs isn’t over: “There’s a lot of different legal issues with regard to these reductions in force and the downsizing of the federal workforce.”

Further cuts to Maryland jobs could impact Maryland’s economy. In 2023, 10.5% of the state’s GDP came from the Federal Government. The Maryland Department of Labor wrote in an impact report, “Ongoing layoffs and contracting disruptions pose a significant challenge to Maryland’s economy.”

In April, Gov. Wes Moore signed the Protect Our Federal Workers Act, which created the Federal Government Employee Assistance Loan Fund, offering financial support to Marylanders impacted by the Trump administration’s mass firings. It also allocated $1.5 million to the attorney general for use in suing the federal government.

The Department of Labor established a website for federal workers impacted by layoffs and firings, with a video message from Moore. “Your service does not go unnoticed and we are grateful to you for your willingness to make our state and our country a better place for all,” he said in the clip.

While both the state and several counties are offering resources to workers who were fired, the pain of job losses will spread further if the Supreme Court permits the Trump administration’s measures to fire federal employees. Bonk noted the distress caused by DOGE in local communities, as uncertainty and job loss permeate the state. “It’s impacting a large scale, you know, folks’ livelihoods, careers and really impacting a lot of communities as well because of that large-scale impact.”

Have a news tip? Contact Gabriella Fine at gfine@baltsun.com.